Finally Going To Get A C&p For The Low Back

[jessie0054]

My son was finally scheduled for a C&P exam on the Low Spine for Oct 4th.

What can he expect to happen at the exam ??

Anything he should look for and be prepared for??

He had an exam about 3 weeks ago at the PM&S Clinic which he took it upon hisself to go in to see what they could do about his pain, Since he was already a patient in the VA hospital going through withdraw and treatment from 13 months on high doses of pain killers he wanted out of that cycle.

The Dr. in the PM&R clinic told him that he was in a H*** of a mess. He was going to have a lot of pain in his back for the rest of his life [ he's only 35] and to have an addiction to pain killers wasn't good.

The DR put him through an exam using some sort of instrument that tested his range of motion and said that his Mobility was very poor and that he was going to need extensive PT and he might just as well be prepared for a second surgery on his back as his disc above and below the fusion he had in March 06 at L4-L5, L5-S1 are now ready to blow.

They put him in some sort of back brace [ which just got here friday] to help hold the disc in place.

He ask the DR who did the exam what type of work he could do right now as he had been off work for over a year and really needed to get back to work. The DR. Told him at this point their wasn't much of anything in any line of work that he could perform right now.

Should we ask for a copy of this PM&R exam and the C&P exam to see if there is any difference between the two??

Thanks

Jessie

[david walker]

Range of motion is the biggie here. I would take a copy of the PM&R exam and give it to the C&P doctor. I would also take any other medical documentation you haven't already submitted. Doctors at C&P exams have access to you VA medical records but its been my experience that if you don't actually give it to them they don't go looking for it. If he is unable to work he needs to go ahead and file for SSD, he needs to talk to his dr about writting a letter stating he is unable to work and why. Good Luck

[john999]

David

I agree. You can have miserable pain but if your range of motion is good you won't get a high rating.

It was the same with workers compensation. ROM is the key. I had pretty good ROM in my left shoulder even though it hurt like hell. The doctor said my complaints were subjective and not backed by objective findings mainly ROM. Of coures. if you have a morphine pump in your back that would be significant.

[jessie0054]

Thanks Guys for the Suggestions!!

I'll stop by the Medical Records and pick up the PM&R report and copy all the recent surgical Records for the Neurosurgeon who did the surgery.

Thanks, Again

Jessie

[BoonDoc]

David

I agree. You can have miserable pain but if your range of motion is good you won't get a high rating.

It was the same with workers compensation. ROM is the key. I had pretty good ROM in my left shoulder even though it hurt like hell. The doctor said my complaints were subjective and not backed by objective findings mainly ROM. Of coures. if you have a morphine pump in your back that would be significant.

That's what my rheumy said about my ROM, looks pretty good....when I asked about med he said"we don't like to use narcotic pain medications for this type of problem" I looked at him kinda odd, since I am already on Methadon, Oxycodone, Tramadol, Valium, and many more....I said ok, can I go now.

I think the next time I go to the VA Rheumatology Dept. I'm not going to take my pain meds that morning so they can see how I move when I'm not on them....I can barly walk and have very limited ROM.

I have a simular problem with my dermatologist, last C&P doc said very limited area affected, and they left me at 10%.No wonder I have to use systemic therepy of a corticosteriod every morning after showering, and the law reads that with constant use, which is in my C%P exam by the doc., a rating of 60% is warrented. I am apealing and maybe I'll get 30% if all goes well, and at the VA that usually doesn't.

WE have to read their guidlines and if we have the symptoms with or without meds we have to make sure that the doctors see it for themselves, otherwise the meds mask the symptoms and the doctor can only go by what s/he sees while your there.

Boondoc

[JohnM]

David

I agree. You can have miserable pain but if your range of motion is good you won't get a high rating.

It was the same with workers compensation. ROM is the key. I had pretty good ROM in my left shoulder even though it hurt like hell. The doctor said my complaints were subjective and not backed by objective findings mainly ROM. Of coures. if you have a morphine pump in your back that would be significant.

Yes you can have miserable pain but when they do the range of motion and it shows that you have pain they also write that down,and at what point the pain started. just because the motion is there does not mean that there is nothing wrong. Also remember, that the doctors also look at your facial impressions. one can say they are in pain but when it doesn't show on your face, they start to question if you are in pain.

Also remember all Doctors have different opionions.

I was sent to a specialist who told me to take Vicadeon like it was candy and go back to work, and that I was not going to get SSD. Well I took the vicadeon like candy, it made me more depressed and suicidal because I got addicted, I never went back to work and I did get SSD. Always make sure there is someone else in the room with you besides the doctor. It could always come down to he/she said

[BoonDoc]

Yes you can have miserable pain but when they do the range of motion and it shows that you have pain they also write that down,and at what point the pain started. just because the motion is there does not mean that there is nothing wrong. Also remember, that the doctors also look at your facial impressions. one can say they are in pain but when it doesn't show on your face, they start to question if you are in pain.

Also remember all Doctors have different opionions.

I was sent to a specialist who told me to take Vicadeon like it was candy and go back to work, and that I was not going to get SSD. Well I took the vicadeon like candy, it made me more depressed and suicidal because I got addicted, I never went back to work and I did get SSD. Always make sure there is someone else in the room with you besides the doctor. It could always come down to he/she said

Agreed!

I had a C&P doctor saw my wife, who is Asian with me in the waiting room. He started talking about Asian women, and how they would even hold "your manhood" (but he used a different wording) while urinating, I was so pissed by this jerk, but I held back from beating the hell out of the old man, because I could see me in jail and loosing what disability money coming in and the family having to suffer for my actions.

At this time I didn't know that you could go down the hall and file a complaint, and ask for another doctor to do the C&P.

I can say from my days as a Hospital Corpsam, that facial expressions, body posture are as important as what you tell them, sometimes more so.

When youv'e been in constant chronic pain you don't express pain in the same way as before, so remember to let it be known by your facial expressions when you do have pain.

Also, I have refused to talk about my depression because I thought it made me look weak. I have it all through my health records, but not like it should have been. I have decided since reading men talk about their depression and anxiety that I have been foolish to think that way, if you have it tell them, how else can they help you, and document your problems. So I'm on Celexa now, well see how it goes. I did find low back trauma in my SMR, so now all of these years of LBP may get the attention that it has deserved from the VA.

Anyway, having someone else in the room is great advice!

Boondoc